I am currently taking 10mg of Cipralex. I forgot it for about 2 days but immediately came back to it once I realized it. However with recent events which made me depressed and still need to recover from it, as it might take up to a week to forget about it, I think its effects got a little weak.
Would it take as long as it does in the first time to stabilize? It would be several weeks until I see a psychiatrist so no point in trying to see if I'd need a bigger dose or not as of yet.
How long does it take for Cipralex to work?
Question posted by lol3145 on 27 Oct 2016
Last updated on 4 October 2019
Answers
chuck1957
28 Oct 2016
lol; Just as Wildcat, Has said you can't forget to take this medicine you must take every day and about the same time. after you missed a few if you only took it for a few days. Then it would be like starting over and it says that it can take 1 to 2 weeks before you start to feel better and you continue to take it. Depression does not go away in just a few days. Anyway you should take this medication until you get in to see the doctor in a few weeks and discuss this with the doctor when your there. Good luck
WildcatVet
27 Oct 2016
Hi, lol! Although some people may improve sooner generally it takes 3-4 weeks to feel significant benefits and 6-8 weeks to develop full therapeutic blood levels. Antidepressants like Cipralex/Lexapro, Cymbalta, Celexa, etc. work slowly but once you're past the trial period the results can be life changing.
Best wishes and good luck!
Bobofenty
29 Sep 2019
But I'm always confused. Is that 3-4 weeks from when you start taking it, even if it's at a low starting dose (2.5) or is it 3-4 weeks/6-8 weeks after you start taking 10mg? So, 3-4 weeks after you start taking 10mg, even if you started at low dosages, you will start to feel significant benefits, and 6-8 weeks after you start taking 10mg, you will get full therapeutic blood levels?
WildcatVet
29 Sep 2019
Generally it would take 6-8 weeks if you were on a single dosage. For instance, if you started and stayed on 10mg/day. But if you start at a very low dosage after each dosage increase it might take a month or less because you already have some of the drug in your system.
Does that make more sense?
Bobofenty
29 Sep 2019
I've been on cipralex since August 13. Started 2.5 for 1 week, 5 for 2 weeks, 7.5 for 2 weeks, and 10 for almost 2 weeks. So altogether almost 7 weeks, almost 2 months.
So I guess I should give the 10mg like 4 weeks total then?
WildcatVet
30 Sep 2019
You were on a very slow increase so the process has been a little more prolonged. If you had started on the 10mg dose you'd still be on schedule for significant improvement at 7 weeks.
If you feel like you've gotten to feeling better I'd say give it a couple more weeks. But if you think you haven't improved at all (or very little) it's time to discuss it with your health care provider.
I really hope you can say that you're doing better. :)
Bobofenty
30 Sep 2019
I've definitely been doing better overall. I'm better from before I started the medication, I can say that for sure. I haven't felt any side effects either except sometimes increased anxiety when I go up in dosage. But the process is quite slow and I guess I'm impatient that I still feel my anxiety and depression symptoms. I've been on 10mg for 2 weeks so maybe I need to give it another 2-4 weeks like you said before I make any decisions. I want to give this dosage some time since I was only on 2 weeks for the other ones. I definitely know that I'm better and I've been told that the fact that I haven't experienced any noticeable side effects (and that I started to feel better at an early stage) is a good sign. I'm just worried about getting the dosage and timing right.
WildcatVet
4 Oct 2019
You and I are some of the 90+% of users who don't have side effects... or if they do they're very mild.
Don't worry too much about dosages and the length of time you're on a specific dosage... you'll just know when you've got it nailed. :)
Bobofenty
5 Oct 2019
Hah thanks for letting me know. I know I shouldn't worry. After 2 weeks on 10, my doc suggested I go right up to 15. I actually decided to stay on 10mg for 3 more weeks so it'll be 5 weeks in total on 10. I wonder if I made the right decision or if I'm just prolonging things unnecessarily for myself. But I wanted to be sure about the 10mg. What do you think?
Anyway I know I need to stop worrying and just relax. I am feeling better overall despite some issues here and there that's the most important thing. This seems to be a gold standard drug for a lot of people if 90%+ people don't feel too many side effects if any.
WildcatVet
5 Oct 2019
Everybody responds different to medications..you may find that 10mg works perfectly well for you while someone else may need a different dosage.
Personally, I would give it some more time and wait and see if you feel much better. You can always do an increase at any time if you feel the need.
Bobofenty
5 Oct 2019
Thank you so much for answering my questions! Yeah, I figured spending a bit of time can't hurt. If after 5 weeks on 10mg (and cumulative 10 weeks on cipralex) I don't feel right I can still go up. At least I'll know I need more. I guess this whole thing is just the waiting game.
Now that I've got you... I do have one other question. Do new side effects ever appear after you go up on dosage? And maybe in the latter weeks? Around at the end of 2 weeks + on 10mg of cipralex, I started having interrupted sleep. Like, I'd go to bed at 12am (I take .5 clonazepam with it at 10pm) and then I'd wake up at 4 and I wouldn't be able to go to sleep again until taking another clonazepam at 10am (all of this is prescribed). I've heard cipralex can interrupt sleep patterns for a while (but for many it goes away, right?). I'm wondering what I should do if I find myself awake at night again?
My doc suggested lowering my dosage of clon in the morning and raising at night so it's still cumulatively 1mg, but I'm just taking more of it at night. I really wonder what I should do if I have another sleepless night.
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